As Congress returns to Washington, DC, following its summer recess, energy sector insiders are optimistic that one area of legislative focus will include permitting reform for major infrastructure and energy projects across the nation. The process for those approvals can stretch on for years, significantly delaying the rollout of new energy projects.
Speaking to Inside Climate News, Bracewell’s Frank Maisano echoed the sentiment of voices in the energy industry expressing frustration over permitting timelines.
“Whether it’s a gas pipeline, whether it’s a natural gas combined cycle plant, whether it’s a transmission line, whether it’s a solar or a wind project, it’s absurd that you should have to spend that long trying to get a permit so that you can produce power for people at a time when we need every electron we can find or get,” Maisano said.
